Behind the Boom in Divorces Over 50

3/2/2012 5:51PM

The rate of divorce among Americans 50 and older has more than doubled in the last decade, studies show. But precisely why is unclear. WSJ's Carl Bialik discusses some of the factors accounting for the boom in divorces among boomers.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... the number of divorces among the fifty and older set has tripled in the last two decades ... often referred to as antimeth divorced great divorce or mid life crisis older divorce is on the rise but figuring out what's driving them ... is more complicated well I'm Kelsey Hubbard and Carl B Allah is joining me this morning from London ... with more on this good morning Car Allah thanks for joining me out what we know what I behind ... this trend ... will the researchers are offering a few different possible answers ... one major one is that the generation now and during those ages ... in one day ... got married in a time when divorce rates record high ... so many of them ... are in their second or even third or later marriages in those marriages are well known to be more vulnerable to Deportes ... there is also who ... the one explanation ... offered to me that the ... I in ... health ... costs are driving some people to divorce in order to ... that become eligible for Medicaid tight and an idea like that being offered just shows how little researcher's really know ... about the causes of divorce ... I mean ... there aren't really ... national federal surveys the greater the ask people ... why they're getting divorced Annie the new numbers on how many older Americans are game to force me to be ... extracted from very complicated survey sky indirectly ... but certainly one big factor is how many Americans are secondary in their early Americans and other recent studies that been done on this that that started it ... gets to know a little bit more about the risk factors that ... make a couple more likely to get divorced later in life ... dearest ones study in particular that ... makes use of the census survey into thousandnine ... I need days ... given some information are risk factors for instance ... it the more education people have us being equal ... the less likely they are good books also ... the longer the marriage has already lasted less likely the Stooges open borders ... it gets to meet your factors are considered the stood there and chatted perhaps a couple that had been there in their forties early forties ... I the the marriage lasted less than ten years it has a much higher chance of ending in divorce that one ... that existed for thirty or forty years ... I the problem with ... this study ... is that it's based on sentence its data and a sense this isn't directly ask people these questions to France and since descendants have you done worse than last year and also what is your job ... would your team ... but the survey can stay if the Javanese of this changed after divorce which no guts because people's but circumstances change ... and has an immense and that that that ... some of these divorces are happening with people but it is Ardi been married before a second or third time is there ... at stake not to divorce for people over fifty they feel it ... more or less than ten other It's groups ... that's inching question S researchers that ... when the reasons are really matters is that ... that that's currently doing he had featured surveys that stock directly from divorce records ... I'd use to be the States puts him it does to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this National Center for Health Statistics New compile ... divorce data for the whole country ... that the no longer do because some states tops making it a sewer BECN surveys that people feel a stigma about divorce they might just choose not to report it ... having said that the researchers I spoke to said ... that ... this generation particular ... for the part of ... the ... group of older Americans with divorce rates are higher it's been fifty to sixty four ... cents ... there really is in a statement to the porch and NBC that based on the fact that divorce rates were very high and the crew ... when they were ... younger ... and also based on surveys attitude surveys asking them for instance ... I ... he's divorce ... it's a good choice if the marathon satisfactory even if their children still the home and the answer is ... resounding yes the groups that seems like in a statement divorce is not so much a factor for the younger ... set of older Americans and the thing you need only look at that number that that that number of divorces among the fifty overs that has ... tripled in the last ... two decades ... that's a huge ship what implications of any unfair on society and so with so many ... single people ... in their entry into their senior years to get it sent it to be a shift that affected them personally and also affects their societal institutions that exists ... to provide for people in their older years that there's a lot of ... interest it's eating CBE ... in the ... Certusi Fi network ... from spouses taking care of each other at least until one is unable to die ... if more people are divorcing and then that could ... create more costs said that ... such an emotional and psychological burden ... for a cost burden ... one thing to note though is that it's some resurgence but he said that ... the generation just after this one ... at a ... lower divorce rates ... and fewer second and third marriages and so perhaps we'll see you all that lovey to step back and it's ... great for stress that perhaps the rise will continue to go ... but to read over again ... write an interesting left on until death do us part certainly thinks proper timing of this morning ... thank you ... and you can read much more about older divorces in the week in review section of the Wall Street Journal I'm Kelsey cover ...